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Biography
My main interests are particle physics and technological applications of physics, mostly in the field of medical physics and hadron- or radiotherapy.
My expertise is in proton gantries and spot scanning technology. My research activities focus on fast treatments in two main domains: 1) techniques for motion mitigation and treatments of moving tumors, and 2) ultra-high dose rates treatments (FLASH irradiations). I am currently PI of an ongoing research grant on increasing dose rate for moving targets treatments, and I am coordinating radiobiology FLASH experiments at one former clinical gantry at our institute. I am also the physics partner of a starting animal trial on FLASH proton therapy. Aside from my research activity, I am also involved in support of our clinical gantry beamlines, and in supporting external users at our facilities.
Previously to my medical physics experience, I focused on experimental particle physics. I have joined the ATLAS experiment in 2008 during the commissioning of its last parts, at CERN. I worked mostly on the modeling of hard strong interactions and detector calibration, Standard model measurements, and on the search for the Higgs Boson in the tau+tau- channel. I also gained experience with semiconductor detectors, in the context of the commissioning of the Pixel tracking detector of ATLAS.
During my career I carried out outreach activities, mostly targeting children and young students and their approach to science. I have gained classwork experience with children aged 5-10, as well as with a wider audience using theatre and acting as a teaching medium.